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New York City has been on my mind this week. Two reasons. Riley and I just spent the weekend there, and another terrorist attack happened in downtown Manhattan. With these recent events in mind, I am going to share two blog posts this weekend related to New York City. Today’s will focus on my most recent visits to NYC with Gavin in June, and Riley last month. In a previous blog, I described why I enjoy New York City. In this blog post, I will share three more compelling reasons to visit. Given the recent terrorist attack, I think it is more important than ever that we show support for this great American city. #IloveNYC.

Amazing architecture of NYC

The Manhattan skyline is stunning, especially at night. NYC is full of beautiful buildings. It seems like around every corner is another architectural gem. There are too many examples for me to list here. I have visited many European cities that are known for their architecture. London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Brussels, and Berlin to name a few. Nothing compares to NYC. The city offers many places to view the city landscape. During our visit in June Gavin and I went to three well-known vantage points (Empire State building, One World Trade Center, and Top of the Rock) for viewing Manhattan. I have seen it many times but always enjoy seeing it again.

Gavin on Top of the Rock in NYC taking in Manhattan skyline

During my last visit, Riley and I stayed in Brooklyn. We were able to walk across both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges into the city. The views from these bridges are wonderful. We had sunny weather and snapped some great photos. I am really glad we were able to see the city from this perspective. It gave me a greater appreciation for NYC architecture. It is world class.

Riley on the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan in the background

One of the great music cities

NYC is well known for music. It is home to Broadway which offers tourists many options. If you visit Times Square you will see available shows and plenty of vendors selling tickets. But, we do not visit NYC for that kind of music. We are more interested in the rock-n-roll history of NYC. Many great bands and artists come from NYC. The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Kiss, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Billy Joel to name a few. The city offers many music stores and venues. Some are famous. For example, Gavin and I visited Rudy’s Guitar Shop in Soho. The walls are covered with posters of famous musicians who have visited there. The store does a great job letting customers look around and try out various guitars. Gavin was able to play several high priced guitars and amps (well beyond what I could afford) while we were there. It was a great experience for a young musician in the big city.

Gavin playing guitar at Rudy’s Guitar Store in Soho

More recently vinyl records have become popular again. The sound from an LP is different than from a CD or streaming. I have a decent record collection. I stored my records from high school and college at my parents’ house. True to form they did not get rid of it. The past few years I bought both Gavin and Riley record players so that they can enjoy listening to records. The last time in NYC Riley, Geoff (one of my good friends who lives in NYC) and I went record shopping. It was a great experience. The city has many record stores. We found several albums we were looking for and came home with a treasure trove of vinyl.

Riley and Geoff in front of NYC Record Store

A city of distinct neighborhoods

NYC is comprised of five boroughs and many neighborhoods. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Dumbo, Soho, Financial District, Little Italy, Chelsea, Midtown, and East Village to name a few. There are way too many to list, and I have only been to a handful. Each one is different to me. Talk about diversity – Brooklyn has a much different feel than Manhattan. Better yet, walk from Soho to East Village and you feel like you are on a different planet. Soho is a ritzy shopping district full of high-end shops. East Village is a funky place – the birthplace of punk rock. I truly enjoy this diversity. It exposes me to new experiences and stretches my mind. I like hanging out in an area to try and get a feel for the place. I am also a big fan of walking around NYC. The subway system is great, and Uber works well, but at times it is better to stroll through an NYC neighborhood to see what it is like. As mentioned, I have traveled a fair bit. I have never been to another city as diverse as NYC. It is one of the elements that make it unique.

Gavin in SohoRiley in East Village in front of Punk Rock mural

It comes down to reality, and it’s fine with me cause I’ve let it slide
I don’t care if it’s Chinatown or on Riverside
I don’t have any reasons
I left them all behind
I’m in a New York state of mind
– New York State of Mind by Billy Joel

This week I saw the band Blondie in concert at Wolf Trap. Beforehand I was not overly excited about the concert. I was looking forward to tailgating in the parking lot with friends but did not have high expectations of the band’s performance. You may not know a lot about Blondie. They were a moderately famous band from the 70s and early 80s. They had multiple radio hits and were pretty well known back in the day. Blondie’s greatest hits album is a good representation of their early musical career if you want to sample it. Boy was I surprised when Blondie took the stage. They were really good and put on a great show. Afterward, I thought about why Blondie was so much better than I expected. I can think of three reasons.

Be your best

Blondie opened the show with the song “One Way or Another”. It is a really upbeat song, and one of my favorites by them. They really set the tone by starting the show with a bang. I noticed right away that their lead guitarist was not one of the original members. He was a rather young man full of talent and energy. I appreciate the fact that Blondie was not afraid to augment their line-up with new members. It made them a stronger band and helped them be their best for their fans. Don’t be afraid to include others who can help you be the best that you can be, even if you become rich and famous.

Continue creating

Blondie played several songs from their new album, Pollinator, during the show. I have listened to their new album several times, and it is actually pretty good. Not their best album, but better than most new music I have heard this year. Whenever a famous band puts out and plays new music they are taking a risk. Their fans are always going to compare the new music to their old hits like I just did. This comparison is not really fair, but it happens nonetheless. I appreciate the fact that Blondie continues to create – writing new songs, recording them, releasing them, and playing them live. One of my favorite bands, U2, takes a similar approach. They continue to put out a new album every few years. In contrast, many other bands stopped creating new music years ago. Instead, they rely on their past accomplishments and simply play their greatest hits during their concerts. Simply put, this approach is lazy. Artists should continue creating. I want to encourage you to continue creating over your lifetime. Don’t stop and rest on your laurels, relying on your past accomplishments to carry the day.

The new Blondie album is actually pretty good – a nice surprise.

Keep kicking

Blondie’s lead singer, Debbie Harry, is no spring chicken. In fact, she is over 70 years old. But you would never guess that watching her perform in concert. She does a great job singing their songs, moving around the stage, dancing to the music, raising the energy level of the audience. I was really impressed with her performance. Let’s face it – it is probably no easy task for Debbie to complete a concert. Rock-n-roll is a young person’s profession, but you would never guess that watching Blondie in concert. They are still touring, and keep kicking. I sure hope I have her kind of energy and enthusiasm when I am over 70 years old, and I hope you will too.

Just so it is clear – I am not endorsing Blondie as model citizens, or saying that you should act like rock stars. Rather, I am exploring ways to learn something new from them. I think we can learn something from everyone, as long as we are paying attention.

Here is a video from Blondie’s early days – probably their most famous song, “Heart of Glass”. It was filmed in a disco – old school.

Music can have a very positive impact on your life and inspire you. Although I do not possess much (if any) musical talent, I have always enjoyed listening to music. As a young man I listened to music that reflected the disillusionment and anger that I felt. Now that I am older, and more mature, I listen to a much more diverse array of music. I enjoy hard rock, punk, 80’s alternative, country, jazz, and modern Christian music. Christian music makes me think of Jesus and helps me worship God. Jazz is smooth and helps me relax. Country music helps me recognize that life can be rather difficult at times. Alternative rock and punk reminds me of my youth. It is the music I listed to in my formative years. Hard rock is just plain fun to listen to some days. Each type of music inspires me in different ways. Explore music and find out what you like, and listen to it for inspiration.

So I’m headed down the open road unknown And we find what we’re made of Through the open door Is it fear you’re afraid of? What are you waiting for? Love alone is worth the fight